The mood change at Winter Park has been obvious this week. Sunday's 26-16 victory over the Detroit Lions put smiles back on the players' faces and put positive spin back on the Vikings season.
The emotional swing from Week 1′s 20-3 disappointment at San Francisco to Week 2′s high is something the players would prefer to avoid, though.
"We were part of that [these last two weeks], but we gotta make sure we're not a part of the up and down thing," Vikings wide receiver Mike Wallace said. "You want to be the team that's steady and getting better.
"The roller coaster is going to get you 8-8, 9-7, 7-9 [records]. … It's not going to get you to the playoffs most of the time. You might get lucky once or twice, but you want to be the team that is getting better come October, November, December. You don't want to be the team that is up and down."
The Vikings were one of five teams that arguably lost badly in their season opener and recovered to avoid a 0-2 start.
Cleveland lost to the New York Jets 31-10 in Week 1 and beat Tennessee 28-14 in Week 2. Tampa Bay lost to Tennessee 42-14 and then topped New Orleans 26-19. Oakland lost to Cincinnati 33-13 in their season opener and then beat Baltimore 37-33.
Jacksonville and the Vikings were the only teams held to single digits in Week 1 and both responded with 20-plus point efforts for victories. The Jaguars lost to North Carolina 20-9 and then beat Miami 23-20.
Wallace said the trick to avoiding the emotional ride is to stay grounded.